Dear Praying Friends,
It is with great joy that we send this update! Just yesterday, Ashley had the privilege of sharing the Gospel with one of her first grade students after a school assembly where she volunteers. After some time in conversation, Ashley was blessed to see this young lady make a profession of faith in Jesus Christ alone for her salvation. Ashley was so excited and very emotional! What a joy to see this young lady come to faith! This is what truly motivates us in our missionary work. We are not here to serve our own agenda but to see people changed by the power of the Gospel. We know God is at work in Knysna, and we know that we will have opportunities to share Christ with many. Please pray that we will be faithful in doing so. And of course, please pray for this young lady and her newfound faith, that God would strengthen her heart as she grows closer to Him.
In other news, we are making good progress on the theological education initiative here. Lord willing, we will begin offering courses in late January or early February. We have up to twenty people interested in our program! This is a true blessing, but there is much administrative and behind-the-scenes work to be done before we launch. We must decide on formal partnerships with accredited schools, lay out a properly scoped and sequenced curriculum, and identify places and times to gather students. Please pray that we are ready to go early in the new year. We want to capitalize on this initial momentum and ultimately deliver much-needed ministry training here.
On the church ministry front, we are planning to help start a home Bible study with one of our missionary partner families in early 2018. Initially, this home study will be connected to the ministry of Lagoonside Baptist Church. In time, we are hoping that a church planting opportunity will arise from our work on the “west” side of the Knysna Lagoon. Knysna, as we have mentioned often, is full of people who find themselves set in life and adequately prepared for physical and material needs. However, many of these same people are in great need spiritually without even realizing it. Please pray that this home study ultimately reaches those who do not know Jesus.
In addition, our family has become particularly focused on helping the Sivuyele (pronounced see-vu-way-lay) School for the Deaf, located in Hornlee, one of Knysna’s suburbs. Each week we are so blessed to see these children expressing true joy in life, being taught about God’s love, and learning to communicate. They have a significant need for an added structure to be built next to their present building. I have mentioned this previously, but to give more specifics, something close to $5,000 (USD) would be sufficient to purchase and outfit a structure that would allow them to accommodate more students and gain much-needed office space. The added structure would allow more lives to be forever changed by the work of Sivuyele. Please pray with us concerning this project, that the funds would be raised in God’s perfect timing, and that Sivuyele could expand its presence here.
Finally, in light of the recent Thanksgiving holiday, we want to express our deep thanks to God for the role that each of you play in our lives and ministry. Without your prayer, support, and friendship, we would not have the privilege of serving here. Thank you for your faithfulness, and may God richly bless you for His glory!
In Christ’s Love,
George, Amy, George David, Ashley, and Alyssa